Streaming is a technique to transmit a media file over a data communication network, such as the Internet, using a stream of data such that a received portion of the file can be used by the receiving computer to present the media content while the remaining portion of the file is still being transmitted. Since the media data can be transmitted to the receiving computer while the received portion is being played back to the user, the user does not have to wait until the entire media file is downloaded.
Time-based media content, such as video and/or audio clips can be transmitted via streaming techniques to reduce the time the user has to wait to enjoy the content.
For example, links to video clips can be embedded in a web page such that when the web page is displayed in a browser, the video clips can be streamed and played within the web page.
The Internet is becoming an advertisement media to reach globally populated web users. Advertisements can be included in a web page that is frequently visited by web users. Typically, the advertisements included in the web pages contain only a limited amount of information (e.g., a small paragraph, an icon, etc.). The advertisements contain links to the web sites that provide further detailed information.
While the Internet provides various ways for people to communicate with each other, such as email, chat in text, voice and/or video, telephone systems are also widely used in conducting real time communications between persons. Telephone numbers are typically provided in advertisements, web sites, directories, etc., as a type of contact information to reach businesses, experts, persons, etc.
To establish a telephone connection, a telephone system may also use a circuit switched network and/or a packet switched network. Traditional land-line based telephone systems connect one telephone set to another through one or more switching centers, operated by one or more telephone companies, over a land-line based telephone network. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) techniques allow the delivery of voice information using the Internet Protocol (IP), in which voice information is packaged in a digital form in discrete packets rather than in the traditional circuit-committed protocols of the public switched telephone network (PSTN).
Cellular networks allow a cellular phone to connect to a nearby cellular base station through an air interface for wireless access to a telephone network. Wireless telephone systems allow not only voice communications but also data communications. For example, cellular phones can be used to receive and send short messages through a Short Message Service (SMS). Web pages can be retrieved through wireless cellular links and displayed on cellular phones. Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) has been developed to overcome the constraints of relatively slow and intermittent nature of wireless links to access information similar or identical to World Wide Web.